Strategies for Parents

 

S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Strategies for Success

• Set realistic goals

• Make use of learning strategies

• Accept your learning differences and advocate for yourself

• Recognize your talents and strengths

• Take initiative and get involved

• Enlist support from others

• Refuse to give up. Don’t quit.
   

A mnemonic by Adult Basic Education Reading Instructor Kathy Young, based on research done by the Frostig Center

 

 

Instructional Strategies for Parents of Early Childhood Children
 

• Read to your children as often as you can. Be sure to point out the relationship between sound and meaning. Encourage children to write and draw to express letters and sounds. Print knowledge, basic letter formation, and linguistic awareness (the relationship between sound and meaning) will help your child build an instrumental foundation.
   

  • Why It Works/Rationale: A groundbreaking study by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine revealed that when children are taught solid decoding skills (connecting sounds with letters) early on, and get prompt, intensive help in learning spelling, vocabulary and comprehension skills, they can indeed master necessary reading skills. In fact, researchers discovered — through comparing brain scans of struggling readers with those who received intense help — that the intervention helped "turn on" and stimulate the brain's reading systems. (National Center for Learning Disabilities)
     

• Use assistive technology like books on tape or talking computer software early and often. This will expose your child to language and the relationships that exist between sounds and words. The University of Michigan site has a comprehensive list of resources: click here to go. Sites like Bookshare and LearningAlly are online libraries that offer endless reading opportunities for your child.
   

  • Why It Works/Rationale: Research now demonstrates that when children with learning disabilities, like dyslexia, are given accessible instructional materials (often referred to as AIM) — textbooks or learning materials that are delivered in audio and/or digital formats — they can excel in school and also learn to enjoy reading. Reading with digital (or e-books) and audio books can enrich a user’s learning experience by engaging them in the content in multi-sensory ways (e.g., reading and listening at the same time, reading along while the e-book highlights each word). (The Dyslexia Toolkit, produced by the National Center for Learning Disabilities)

 

 

• Other helpful strategies for early readers:

  • Read books that rhyme, like Dr. Seuss books. Make up your own rhymes to help your child make connections.
     

  • From the time your child starts talking, you can use claps to help them “pull apart” spoken words. You can clap the number of sounds in his name, or the number of syllables in everyday words, like the days of the week.
     

  • Encourage your child to pursue interests that they love and are good at, like art or sports. It is important for children to feel confident!
     

    • Why It Works/Rationale: Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-author of the Yale study and the author of the widely acclaimed book Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level, advocates: “Reading to your child is important, and especially reading books that rhyme, such as Dr. Seuss books. You can also make up your own jingles and stories that highlight a certain sound, like "sss." From the time a child starts talking, you can help him break words into syllables. You can teach him to clap the number of sounds in his name, or the syllables in each day of the week. The idea is to pull apart spoken words. If your child is struggling, it's equally important to encourage him to do something he loves and is good at, whether it's playing soccer or painting. Even though it takes a lot of time to help children learn to read, there has to be time for fun too." (Scholastic, "Overcoming Dyslexia" http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/challenges-disabilities/overcoming-dyslexia)

 

Instructional Strategies for Parents of Middle School Children
 

• Even though it seems like your children are getting older, continue to read aloud at home. It helps for the children to be able to follow along so sit side by side, or get two texts. Another option would be to have a Family Read Aloud Night. Turn off the TV for a night and read instead. Parents can read to kids or you can mix it up and have the kids read to the parents in a safe, comfortable environment.
   

  • Why It Works/Rationale: In Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers, Teri Lesesne cites Becoming a Nation of Readers, a study that was commissioned to examine reading in the United States, to make her own case for why teachers should not abandon reading to their classes once their students become independent readers.  According to the study, reading aloud was the single most effective activity for building to eventual success in reading. Dyslexics particularly benefit when they visually track with the reader as much as possible.  “Reading along” gives the listening student an increased exposure to the look of words and makes explicit the process of converting letter combinations to sounds. (From YCDC site, “How Parents Can Build A Word Rich Life for Dyslexics” from the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, by Kyle Redford, YCDC Education Editor)
     

• Include your child in the conversation as often as possible. Described as the “hunters and gatherers of the oral world”, they are constantly listening and picking up clues. Certain lines of questioning are more likely to lead to rich conversations, so ask for a retelling of events, or the summary of a day or an event. This challenges them to practice word retrieval (thinking of the right word) and sequencing (the order in which it happened). Asking them about their opinion on something stimulates critical thinking skills. Once they become accustomed to being included in the conversation, they will be more likely to collect and absorb information that they can use in those conversations. These conversations also give them the opportunity to practice oral expression and communicating ideas in a safe environment.
   

  • Why It Works/Rationale: From the article, “Bringing Dyslexic Children into the Conversational World of Adults” by Kyle Redford, YCDC Education Editor: Being included in adult conversations at the dinner table, in the car, or while the family is discussing an important issue benefits all children.  It is particularly valuable, however, to dyslexics.  They are the hunters and gatherers of the oral world.  Because it is harder for them to access knowledge by reading written information, they typically develop strong listening skills.  Engaging in sophisticated discussions helps them build their knowledge and word banks while developing transferrable conversational skills.  Talking with adults challenges children to use higher-level critical thinking skills and vocabulary.  Dyslexics crave context.  Conversations with adults offer children a context for ideas and words, two currencies that they will trade in throughout the remainder of their lives
    
    There are certain lines of questioning that are more likely to lead to rich conversations.  Asking for a retelling of events, or a summary of a day or an event, can help children practice two things that are challenging for dyslexics:  their word retrieval (remembering the best word to describe things) and sequencing (ordering events).   But in order to teach critical thinking skills, children need to be also asked for their opinions.  When children are asked how they feel about an issue, why they thought a problem occurred, or why they did or did not like something, they start to think differently.  Formulating reasons for their opinions requires children to make connections between their life experience and the experience of others, make predictions, and organize their thoughts.  Curiosity is another wonderful outcome.  When children become accustomed to being included in adult conversations, they realize they need content in order to engage productively.  That leads to questioning, increased awareness of their world, and an ambition to collect and absorb more information.  Most importantly, talking with adults offers children an opportunity to practice their oral expression, clarify application of new vocabulary words, and ask questions in a safe environment.  Teachers can always tell which of their students are included in family conversations.  They have an oral agility, comfort and confidence that distinguish them.

 

Instructional Strategies for Parents of Adolescent or Young Adult Children
 

• Help your child find books that interest them! At this age, reading can seem increasingly difficult and some students lose motivation. The key is to help them find the right books. Rosalie Fink asserts that if the reader has a strong personal interest that they will persevere, despite the challenge. So find out what your child’s interests are, and help them find reading materials pertinent to that subject. It is also important to let them choose, whether it is a novel, comic book, or a magazine, the goal is to get them to read—and to enjoy it! Some good ideas, including the International Reading Association’s resource list are available by clicking here!
   

  • Why It Works/Rationale: Research shows that the more we read, the better readers we become—so it is important to get children to read as much as possible. This can be a challenge for dyslexic children because reading is more difficult. One way that has proven successful is to have children and teens read in areas of interest. In her book Why Jane and John Couldn’t Read And How They Learned: A New Look at Striving Readers, Rosalie Fink analyzes successful dyslexic adults who learned to read by pursuing areas of interest. Because the topic was of such high interest to them, they were highly motivated to read about the content and persevered despite the reading challenges. (From University of Michigan site, “Books to Get Kids Reading” http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/books-get-kids-reading)
     

• At this age, many of the same strategies continue to apply: reading aloud to and with your child, finding assistive technology, and being an advocate for your child. However, as children get older, one of the most important facets to consider as learning expectations increase is to continually encourage your child and provide the emotional support that they need. They should also not feel limited in their academic or career choices. Most colleges make special accommodations and as people from Albert Einstein to Steven Speilberg have proven, some very brilliant people with dyslexia have contributed a great deal through their careers.
   

  • Why It Works/Rationale: TeensHealth is a website that offers articles for Kids, Parents, and Teens that relate to all kinds of issues, like how it feels to have a learning disability. In the “Understanding Dyslexia” article, Dr. Laura L. Bailet emphasizes the importance of providing emotional support for people with dyslexia: “Emotional support for people with dyslexia is very important. They often get frustrated because no matter how hard they try, they can't seem to keep up with other students. They often feel that they are stupid or worthless, and may cover up their difficulties by acting up in class or by becoming the class clown. They may try to get other students to do their work for them. They may pretend that they don't care about their grades or that they think school is dumb. Family and friends can help people with dyslexia by understanding that they aren't stupid or lazy, and that they are trying as hard as they can. It's important to recognize and appreciate each person's strengths, whether they're in sports, drama, art, creative problem solving, or something else.” (From TeensHealth Website “Understanding Dyslexia” http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/dyslexia.html#)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helpful Strategies Regardless of Age

• Include multi-sensory opportunities for learning. Practice using sight, sound, and touch when introducing new ideas.

• Be an advocate for your child. Seek modifications in the classroom. This might include extra time to complete assignments, help with note taking, oral testing, and other means of assessment.

• Become intimate with your child's areas of need (for example, organization, inattentiveness, comprehension, decoding) and help find appropriate techniques to enhance and reinforce learning. Locate professionals early in the school year at your child's school and/or in the private sector who can provide helpful strategies.

• Make learning fun! This section of the University of Michigan site has a long list of fun, and free, games and apps to get children excited about learning! http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/fun-games-for-dyslexics

• The Dyslexia Toolkit, produced by the National Center for Learning Disabilities, features everything you need, from warning signs to resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations for Assistive Technology
 

Kurzweil 3000 Software

 

Cost: For the 3000 software, a single package costs $1,395; a less expensive option is the Firefly edition which costs $700 per year. The Firefly option offers all of the functionality of the 3000 software, access to the cloud-based centralized library, and the ability to save to the remote server—but it does have to be renewed yearly.
 

Purpose: Kurzweil 3000 is an integrated literacy software that reads text aloud to students. It provides multisensory access to virtually any text or curriculum, including print, electronic, and web-based material–so students learn from grade appropriate content, develop valuable study skills, and become independent learners. Tools can be customized and adapted to meet the needs of the end user, from age 8 through college and into adulthood as it supports lifelong literacy both in the workplace and at home.

 

Using natural sounding voices, Kurzweil 3000 reads text aloud to students, allowing them to follow along as the text is highlighted and spoken at a self-adjusted pace. Additional literacy tools use a multisensory approach to engage students as they develop language fluency, comprehension and retention.

 

Targeted Skills:

• Reading Comprehension Skills: Access to all major digital file formats, online text and printed materials

• Spelling Skills: Spell checker and integrated dictionary

• Writing Skills: Talking word processor, auditory spell checker, word prediction with grammar controlled vocabulary lists

• Study Skills: Multiple highlighter options, sticky notes, read-the-web

• Reading Skills: Special font to assist with visual tracking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon Naturally Speaking

 

 

 

 

Cost: Software package costs $74.99
 

Purpose: Dragon is the world’s best-selling speech recognition software. It turns talk into text and can make virtually any computer task easier and faster. It helps students with dyslexia turn thoughts into written words, simply by speaking. It helps students capture ideas, create documents, and search the web.
 

Targeted Skills:

• Writing skills (spoken words appear onscreen with 99% accuracy; allows dictation up to 160 words per minute)

• Spelling skills (integrated dictionary eliminates spelling errors)

• Listening skills (software can read transcribed text back to you to ensure it is what was intended)

 

 

Natural Reader

 

Cost: There is a free version of this TTS option available online for you to try: click here. Education versions range in price from $69 to $199 depending on options.
 

Purpose: NaturalReader turns written text into human speech. This Text to Speech software features natural sounding voices. This easy to use software can convert any written text such as MS Word, Webpage, PDF files, and Emails into spoken words. NaturalReader can also convert any written text into audio files such as MP3 or WAV for your CD player or iPod.

 

NaturalReader has many other functions, such as OCR. OCR function works with your scanner to convert printed characters into digital text and it is up to 99% accurate. This allows you to listen to your printed file or edit it in a word-processing program.

 

Targeted Skills:

• Reading Comprehension (reads the material and highlights the words to stress correlation)

• Writing Skills (reads back as you type, by word or by sentence to improve coordination of sound and letter combinations)

• Spelling Skills (read along capability ensures word is what was intended)

 

Other Resources for Kids and Parents

The Big Picture Rethinking Dyslexia

This education documentary features a look at young people and their struggles to overcome dyslexia includes scientific research of diagnoses and treatment; and comments from notable dyslexics, including entrepreneur Richard Branson, politician Gavin Newsom, financier Charles Schwab and attorney David Boies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embracing Dyslexia

This documentary is a thoughtful and moving exploration of dyslexia from an insider's perspective, weaving together interviews with parents, adult dyslexics, researchers, educators, and experts to provide an accurate portrayl of a learning difference that affects between 15-20% of the population.

 

Parents share emotional stories of their frustration over failing to understand why their children were struggling with reading, writing, and spelling and the life-altering impact the word dyslexia had on their lives.